The latest design for the product packaging will feature the smartphone friendly barcodes.
In its latest step to appeal to nutrition conscious consumers, McDonald’s Corp. has announced that it will be adding QR codes to the latest design of its product packaging, to make it easier for customers to learn about the foods they are purchasing.
The fast food restaurant has been making several similar efforts to simplify the transmission of information.
This largest fast food chain in the world has been making a number of different efforts over the last few months and in recent years, in order to make nutrition a higher priority. The QR codes are an element of this overall effort, in that they make it easier for consumers to check the nutrition content of the foods that they order.
By using QR codes, this nutrition information becomes much more conveniently accessible.
Kevin Newell, the chief brand officer at McDonald’s, explained that “Customers tell us they want to know more about the food they are eating and we want to make that as easy as possible by putting this information right at their fingertips.” As a growing number of those guests to the restaurants have smartphones, QR codes became a natural choice to assist in this effort.
The packaging featuring the barcodes will be launched throughout the United States, this week. Though they will not be present on every item, these black and white square will be found on the carry out bags, as well as on the fountain beverage cups from American locations. Throughout the rest of 2013, this same effort with QR codes will be rolled out worldwide as the information is translated into 18 additional languages.
The packaging, itself, was designed with the assistance of a number of different groups of people. It began with the feedback of the customers, themselves, but it also took into account the opinions of advisors in the fields of nutrition, fitness, and public health as a whole. The QR codes are an extension of the effort made last September, where all McDonald’s locations in the United States added the calorie information to each of the foods listed on their restaurant and drive through menus.
Facebook Graph Search introduced as new search function
Facebook’s search function has never been something to write home about, which is why the social network has decided to make significant changes to the feature. The social network has launched its latest development, called Facebook Graph Search. The new feature is meant to change the way users find information via Facebook by giving them the opportunity to search for specific keywords and control the parameters of the search itself. While this may be a nice change for casual users, this could be a major boon for advertisers and businesses.
Facebook Graph Search opens new possibilities for marketers
Facebook Graph Search is designed to provide users with real time information based on their association with other people and organizations within the Facebook network. The major feature of the new search function is the use of keywords. These keywords will allow users to localize their searchers, finding only the information they really want to see. Casual users are likely to find some degree of benefit in using the new search function, but advertisers may benefit the most from the changes Facebook has made.
Location-based marketing could be supported through new search function
Advertisers can use the Facebook Graph Search to better target their audience. The search function will put a great deal of information at the finger tips of marketers and other organizations interested in reaching out to particular demographics. This will allow advertisers to develop location-based marketing strategies based on the information that can be found through the Facebook Graph Search. The new search function could soon become a very powerful tool in a marketer’s advertising arsenal.
New search initiative may net Facebook healthy gains
Reaching out to consumers in an effective way is a practice that continues to evolve. Facebook has paid attention to the way consumers have changed over the years to become more reliant on social media. Social networks, like Facebook, traffic a great deal of information on a daily basis, much of which can be used by an advertiser to connect with a certain audience. Thus, Facebook has begun to take steps to cater more toward advertisers, which may provide lucrative incentives for this information in return.
